Ukraine has received its first batch of US-made F-16 fighter jets from NATO, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, marking an escalation of the alliance’s involvement in the proxy war.
Bloomberg’s sources did not say how many planes had arrived, only that it was a “small” number. They also said it was not immediately clear if Ukrainian pilots trained by Western countries to fly the F-16s could use them right away or if the process would take longer.
The Washington Post recently reported that only six Ukrainian pilots were expected to finish the training by this summer. If the F-16s are put in use soon, they’re expected to operate far from the frontlines as US officials fear they could be easily downed by Russian air defense systems.
Denmark and the Netherlands are supplying the first batch of planes, and Belgium and Norway have also pledged to provide Ukraine with F-16s, but most won’t be delivered for years. The US hasn’t promised to provide the jets but has helped with training and will arm the F-16s with advanced missiles.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the US had agreed to arm the Ukrainian F-16s with “AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles; the extended-range versions of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, which convert unguided bombs to smart weapons; and so-called small diameter bombs that explode with a tight blast radius. In addition, the U.S. will send advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, known as AMRAAM, and AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles for the jets.”
Initially sold as a “game changer” for the Ukrainian military, the F-16s are not expected to have much impact on the battlefield. NATO countries first pledged to provide the jets in May 2023 after getting the OK from President Biden.
“If the F-16s are put in use soon, they’re expected to operate far from the frontlines”
Do they not realize distance is not an obstacle for Russia?
I can see them parked at the polish border for take off. But even that is not a guarantee since Russia has already warned NATO.
The best and most useful weapons are, apparently, the ones not actually used in frontline combat where they're supposed to be the "game changer" ? May as well have parked them under a tent in Belgium where they'd be equally useful.
It's unlikely there is an airfield left in Ukraine that is usable by the F-16. Because of the low air intake they'll suck up anything on the ground straight into the engine, and their suspension requires a paved airfield without potholes. Bases with F-16 squadrons stationed have special equipment to continuously sweep the runway, at bases they visit soldiers have to walk the runway in a line to clean it of any debris. They also have very specific equipment needs for arming, you're not just going to trundle up with a bomb on a forklift.
My guess is they'll station them at a base in Poland that already hosts F-16s.
Boeing?
Crikey!
Lockheed-Martin actually.
How is the severance package?
Better than the Russian MOD!
https://www.newsweek.com/putin-military-purge-defense-ministry-arrests-1933009
Interesting. Apparently in Russia corruption in the military gets punished. How very undemocratic! Yet another sign that they're evil!
Yes. Falling out of a window is fair punishment.
The Inca would have agreed, they threw offenders off the top of high cliffs. They had one punishment for crimes, including perjury; death, carried out quickly and without appeal. As a result they were the **ONLY** civilization that I know of in all of history with essentially no crime. Unfortunately it quickly became so ingrained in their culture that it took most of two generations before they finally believed that Europeans would lie, for any reason or no reason at all, steal anything, and wantonly destroy for no other reason than the joy of destruction. That contributed greatly to the fall into barbarism of what was probably the highest civilization on the planet.
Once again, you peg your mediocracy on Russia. So sad.
I thought it was you right-wingers that go in for the pegging?
When you brag about your C- grade because the other guy got a D+, that’s called pegging. Typical, left wing mediocrity.
You won't live long enough to tell about it!
OTAN and Bomb! OTAN and bomb, la deededeededumbdedubm!
…So, to get the Ukrainians to fight 'till the last Ukrainian, Biden's going to give them F-16s? Why not go further? Give everyone an F-16. …Yes. Every Ukrainian. …I'm being ridiculous now? …Think about the "'Till the last Ukrainian" part. …My plan is better, isn't it?
All of them will be destroyed before they see the sky…!
Sure they will, son.
Yes, father…!
Father forgive me, for I have sinned . . .
I've had doubts about the invincibility of NATO and the inevitability of the Ukrainians to take back Crimea. What penance must I serve?
Edit: If you're not a recovering Catholic you may not get the reference.
I’ll forgive you. You’re mistaken quite often. It doesn’t cost me anything.
Most likely. Can't imagine what kind of idiot would doubt that.
The best move for the
sacrificialrelatively untrained Ukrainian pilots who will fly the F-16's would be to load up with as much fuel as they can carry and fly low and fast to a country where they can land and defect. Bonus style points if they go to Russia.I'm sure the "relatively untrained" pilots will be so scared of the Russians (who won't be flying anywhere close to Ukraine anymore) the F-16s will be useless. You jagoffs have been talking s**t for a while now so we'll see how it goes.
Double points if the Russia they land in, is Crimea.
Those 6 pilots Ukraine has to fly them have the honor of being the first to die in them.
As for Russian air defenses, the Russian don't care. Their pilots will be beating each other up for the chance to down the first American F-16. Given that Ukraine air defenses are mostly kaput at this point, Russian pilots can fly far from the front lines and their air-to-air missiles, which have a much longer range than the F-16's missiles, will be able to down the F-16s no matter where they are – even across the border in Poland and Romania.
If I'm not mistaken, there's also an S-400 system in Belarus which probably can spot the F-16's as soon as they cross the border, then vector the Russian pilots in on them.
"Ukraine has received its first batch of US-made F-16 fighter jets from NATO…"
….aaaaand they're burning wreckages on the landing strip.
It's like a phrase out of a comedy sketch.
"Yes, they're our top soldiers, these guys. The best. So we keep them away from the battle so they don't get hurt."
They also keep the Abrams out of battle as much as possible, because they're so easily blown up, and can't handle the tough terrain.
It seems Pentagon strategy focused too much on war that was about patrolling roads and villages in occupied nations, like Afghanistan. In Donbass improvised explosive devices aren't the main problem.
Well, if they are going to operate "far from the front lines", then all this weaponry we are sending them is pointless; JDAMs have a range of about 20 miles; small diameter bombs maybe 50 (maybe); aim-9 about 2 miles; amraam about 40; and agm-88 harm (the longest-ranged of the bunch) "up to 80", but that's an "anti radar" missile for the suppression of enemy air defense, not a strike weapon.
Re JDAMS and small diameter bombs; both have proven very susceptible to russian ew jamming; so the farther away they launch, the less likely they will hit anything (except the ground).
Since Russian strike aircraft are releasing their FABs from behind the FEBA (forward edge of the battle area), in order to engage them the F-16s will need to be no more than 30 miles from the FEBA themselves, well within the "coverage" envelope of russian air defense systems; if based "far far away" the F-16s will be detected by russian awacs long before they get to anywhere from which their weapons can be used. Just simple math, time and distance.
Expensive toys , wonder how long will they las once airborne.
This reminds me of that time in Starcraft where I finally built 1 battlecruiser and sent it to destroy the enemy base. Only to find it completely surrounded with upgraded missile turrets.